News

Report Criticizes Ohio Death Penalty Selectiveness

A report by an anti-death penalty group criticizes the selectiveness of Ohio's capital punishment law, saying death sentences owe as much to an individual prosecutor's philosophy as the nature of the crime.

The analysis by Ohioans to Stop Executions says Cuyahoga County, with the most capital indictments in the state, once charged numerous individuals with death penalty counts each year but now charges very few.

The report released Wednesday notes a similar trend in Franklin County, while pointing out that Hamilton County indicts few individuals but has a high death-sentence rate because it won't accept plea bargains in capital cases.

The report also highlights the role of race, noting that two of every three Ohio death sentences since 1981 involved the killing of a white victim.